tenchi muyo 
tempus fugit
animus fuggedaboudit.
I was supposed to mention 'Before Sunset' in my last overbearing diatribe. The intention was there, the film was still fresh in my mind, and to say that it left quite an indelible impression would be an understatement. But I guess I got carried away with this narcissistic preoccupation with... well, with myself and by then the post was getting nauseatingly protracted and it left me in a foul mood. Next to Charles Dickens, I am an understudy in the school of prolix but I think I'm getting there. Nowhere near as good at it as he ever was, though.
Nevertheless, I went to see the recently-released sequel with the only other person I know, besides yours truly, who loved the first film as much as I did (and who is --in part due to this-- one of my favoritest people in the world). Jun, you know who you are. She didn't like how it ended, and I have to admit it took some adjusting for me as well. It took me approximately 1.0000087 seconds in total, give or take a nanosec. But in the end I fell in love with it just the same.
I might spoil the movie for the hardly here who haven't seen it, so if you're hardly here and if you haven't seen it then it goes without saying that you know what to do. But seriously, you should experience the movie for yourself; it's very much open to intrepretation (you'll know it when you've seen it, stop asking too many questions!).
The original film was... well, very original. It got me hooked from the beginning, because I hadn't seen anything like it before (haven't seen anything like it since, in fact). It blew my mind away. A "romance flick" built almost solely on the intellectual repartee between two young and very talented actors, but also on the emotional frankness of the film. What was left unspoken was just as important as what was said, and this nuance was testament to director Linklater's deft handling of the story and Hawke's and Delpy's acting abilities. There was an undeniable chemistry between the two main characters; both very unassuming and very natural in their own roles. There was no denying they were just being themselves, and this was integrated into the sequel with the actors writing a very large part of their real lives into it. It didn't hurt that the entire movie was shot in Vienna (I've been there only once, and yes it's as beautiful as they say it is).
The ending of the original film really got to me, and in a way reflected a lot of what I was feeling at the time (and what I would feel years later, as well) just as every teenager did at some point in their lives. It ends on a very poignant note, especially when the film takes you back to all the nooks and street corners of the previous night. The camera lingers on every landmark reminding you that they were there for a very brief period of time, but no more. And you just know, when they promise to meet again and when they board the different trains, that it is unlikely they will ever see each other again. It ends with a longing, a yearning for something that is no longer attainable. A sense of nostalgia, of wishing things were back to what they used to be. Very familiar feelings to anyone who has ever fallen in love.
I believe I was fourteen when I first saw it, and back then I was an oversexed kid dealing with the onset of puberty and very addicted to comic books and everything testosterone-filled or -fueled. 'Before Sunrise' must have been something special for me to have stuck around in front of the TV screen; I was riveted the whole time. It was something special, which was why I fell in love with it in the first place.
I guess nothing much has changed about me, except heady puberty has been offset with a certain down-to-earth maturity. Which in a sense is what the sequel is all about. It's amazing how everything falls into place perfectly, including the timing of these films in relation to my life. The premise of the two films is simple, the script brilliant, the story honest, but the timing is just perfect. A concoction of pure magic, some might say. Funny how things work out that way, but enough about me.
Whereas the original dealt with young love and, in some ways, teenage angst (the two are almost interchangeable terms), the sequel revolves around the fallout from such naïveté of youth and the responsibilities and commitments of growing older. The maturity is apparent here, both physically and acting-wise. The attraction between them is more subtle, the words spoken and the physical cues are handled more gracefully compared to the youthful brashness in the first film. Unfettered romanticism versus low-key pragmatism (and indeed the maturity and the almost telepathic understanding between the two leads allow for the ending to be what it is).
Jesse and Celine are no longer who they used to be; not as explosively passionate as they once were, tempered by level-headedness and quite a bit of disenchantment. Their optimism is diminished by a certain world-weariness, but they still cling to remnants of their past and so the changes are not as drastic as they seem to be at first. Emotionally, the sequel comes through as truer than the original. Everything is just as raw when the old wounds are opened again, and the actors shine during these moments of emotional fragility.
In fact, towards the end we can see that Jesse and Celine have hardly changed at all. Their lives are not as care-free and unpredictable as they used to be and there is a tragic aspect to their lives, but they're just as playful and flirtatious as before. The weight of their individual realities did little to change their lightness of being; they were just hiding it from view all this time.
Hence, the laid-back approach to the ending complements the maturity of the sequel because there is no rush -- the teenage angst that gave them so much trouble in the first place, that kept them on their toes and teetering on edge is long gone. It may seem abrupt at first, but I think it works to continue the mystery that the first film had woven. The uncertainty isn't there anymore, but there is just enough mystery to keep the audience captivated long after the movie has ended. The softer, more subtle approach to the ending goes hand in hand with the characters as grown-up adults. They are mellower, more seasoned in some ways and so there is no rush.
Unlike the first film's ending, which was to put it simply a crowd-pleaser in the mushiness scale, here we're given just the right amount of information to know everything there is to know and the sequel ends right where it's supposed to. A happy ending (that is to say, they get back together) is merely hinted at for Jesse and Celine, so if you're the pessimist you'll invariably miss the subtle cues put in throughout the film to point us in the right direction but not show us exactly the destination.
'Waltz For A Night' is the perfect culmination for this mesmerizing film. That must have been the climax. How do I know? Well, I felt the tears swelling up in my eyes (of course I hid it, being a guy and all) listening to the song midway through. An exquisite and gentle song, for an exquisite and gentle film. Equally as good as the original, and could have surpassed it if perhaps the film wasn't so short -- I'm now having withdrawal symptoms. Maybe they should make another.
I was supposed to mention 'Before Sunset' in my last overbearing diatribe. The intention was there, the film was still fresh in my mind, and to say that it left quite an indelible impression would be an understatement. But I guess I got carried away with this narcissistic preoccupation with... well, with myself and by then the post was getting nauseatingly protracted and it left me in a foul mood. Next to Charles Dickens, I am an understudy in the school of prolix but I think I'm getting there. Nowhere near as good at it as he ever was, though.
Nevertheless, I went to see the recently-released sequel with the only other person I know, besides yours truly, who loved the first film as much as I did (and who is --in part due to this-- one of my favoritest people in the world). Jun, you know who you are. She didn't like how it ended, and I have to admit it took some adjusting for me as well. It took me approximately 1.0000087 seconds in total, give or take a nanosec. But in the end I fell in love with it just the same.
I might spoil the movie for the hardly here who haven't seen it, so if you're hardly here and if you haven't seen it then it goes without saying that you know what to do. But seriously, you should experience the movie for yourself; it's very much open to intrepretation (you'll know it when you've seen it, stop asking too many questions!).
The original film was... well, very original. It got me hooked from the beginning, because I hadn't seen anything like it before (haven't seen anything like it since, in fact). It blew my mind away. A "romance flick" built almost solely on the intellectual repartee between two young and very talented actors, but also on the emotional frankness of the film. What was left unspoken was just as important as what was said, and this nuance was testament to director Linklater's deft handling of the story and Hawke's and Delpy's acting abilities. There was an undeniable chemistry between the two main characters; both very unassuming and very natural in their own roles. There was no denying they were just being themselves, and this was integrated into the sequel with the actors writing a very large part of their real lives into it. It didn't hurt that the entire movie was shot in Vienna (I've been there only once, and yes it's as beautiful as they say it is).
The ending of the original film really got to me, and in a way reflected a lot of what I was feeling at the time (and what I would feel years later, as well) just as every teenager did at some point in their lives. It ends on a very poignant note, especially when the film takes you back to all the nooks and street corners of the previous night. The camera lingers on every landmark reminding you that they were there for a very brief period of time, but no more. And you just know, when they promise to meet again and when they board the different trains, that it is unlikely they will ever see each other again. It ends with a longing, a yearning for something that is no longer attainable. A sense of nostalgia, of wishing things were back to what they used to be. Very familiar feelings to anyone who has ever fallen in love.
I believe I was fourteen when I first saw it, and back then I was an oversexed kid dealing with the onset of puberty and very addicted to comic books and everything testosterone-filled or -fueled. 'Before Sunrise' must have been something special for me to have stuck around in front of the TV screen; I was riveted the whole time. It was something special, which was why I fell in love with it in the first place.
I guess nothing much has changed about me, except heady puberty has been offset with a certain down-to-earth maturity. Which in a sense is what the sequel is all about. It's amazing how everything falls into place perfectly, including the timing of these films in relation to my life. The premise of the two films is simple, the script brilliant, the story honest, but the timing is just perfect. A concoction of pure magic, some might say. Funny how things work out that way, but enough about me.
Whereas the original dealt with young love and, in some ways, teenage angst (the two are almost interchangeable terms), the sequel revolves around the fallout from such naïveté of youth and the responsibilities and commitments of growing older. The maturity is apparent here, both physically and acting-wise. The attraction between them is more subtle, the words spoken and the physical cues are handled more gracefully compared to the youthful brashness in the first film. Unfettered romanticism versus low-key pragmatism (and indeed the maturity and the almost telepathic understanding between the two leads allow for the ending to be what it is).
Jesse and Celine are no longer who they used to be; not as explosively passionate as they once were, tempered by level-headedness and quite a bit of disenchantment. Their optimism is diminished by a certain world-weariness, but they still cling to remnants of their past and so the changes are not as drastic as they seem to be at first. Emotionally, the sequel comes through as truer than the original. Everything is just as raw when the old wounds are opened again, and the actors shine during these moments of emotional fragility.
In fact, towards the end we can see that Jesse and Celine have hardly changed at all. Their lives are not as care-free and unpredictable as they used to be and there is a tragic aspect to their lives, but they're just as playful and flirtatious as before. The weight of their individual realities did little to change their lightness of being; they were just hiding it from view all this time.
Hence, the laid-back approach to the ending complements the maturity of the sequel because there is no rush -- the teenage angst that gave them so much trouble in the first place, that kept them on their toes and teetering on edge is long gone. It may seem abrupt at first, but I think it works to continue the mystery that the first film had woven. The uncertainty isn't there anymore, but there is just enough mystery to keep the audience captivated long after the movie has ended. The softer, more subtle approach to the ending goes hand in hand with the characters as grown-up adults. They are mellower, more seasoned in some ways and so there is no rush.
Unlike the first film's ending, which was to put it simply a crowd-pleaser in the mushiness scale, here we're given just the right amount of information to know everything there is to know and the sequel ends right where it's supposed to. A happy ending (that is to say, they get back together) is merely hinted at for Jesse and Celine, so if you're the pessimist you'll invariably miss the subtle cues put in throughout the film to point us in the right direction but not show us exactly the destination.
'Waltz For A Night' is the perfect culmination for this mesmerizing film. That must have been the climax. How do I know? Well, I felt the tears swelling up in my eyes (of course I hid it, being a guy and all) listening to the song midway through. An exquisite and gentle song, for an exquisite and gentle film. Equally as good as the original, and could have surpassed it if perhaps the film wasn't so short -- I'm now having withdrawal symptoms. Maybe they should make another.
PLAYLIST
Who Is It -- Bjork
The Past And Pending -- The Shins
Obstacle 1 -- Interpol
Against All Odds -- The Postal Service
Leaving New York -- R.E.M.
posted by the narcissist at 1:45:00 pm
3 Comments:
=)
Never was a review that nice.
haha, i bet mentioning your name had nothing to do with it! but seriously we could go see it again if you want. i do.
I liked 'before sunrise' because it was very European-like. I strongly suggest you watch Bertolucci's films (specificaly: The Dreamers)and also 'The Invisibles' with Portia De Rossi. The emphasis is always on the intense dialogue- I find it mesmerizing.
BTW, I'm linking you up on my blog, hope it's ok with you :)
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